HS2 ‘could ruin iron age camp’

Fears have been raised that the HS2 route could destroy a prehistoric settlement dating back to the Iron Age.

Maps indicating the route that the high speed railway will take, show the track passing through the west of South Kirkby. And members of the community fear it could carve up a piece of the town’s heritage, known as the South Kirkby Camp.

Mp Jon Trickett talks to Upton residents about the possibility of certain bus routes being scrapped.'h6463b140

Hemsworth MP Jon Trickett, who has vocally opposed the HS2 route, said: “The iron age camp goes way, way back into our history.

“It is a precious part of South Kirkby’s heritage and it looks as though it could be damaged by the proposed route, which I am extremely upset about, as are others who have shared their concerns.

“We can’t tell exactly where the railway is going to but the site could be badly affected.

“I am obviously very upset about the impact HS2 could have on people’s houses but equally why should we have our heritage destroyed as well?

“It is completely unacceptable.”

The camp is named on Historic England’s Heritage List, as an ancient monument or archaeological area deemed to be of national importance.

The entry states that the land was a prehistoric enclosed settlement.

And excavations across its bank and ditch in 1949 produced pottery reportedly from the Iron Age.

The organisation also lists the encampment on its Heritage at Risk register, where the settlement is described as being in a “generally unsatisfactory” condition.

Matthew Thomas, a member of the Yorkshire Party, who lives in the area said: “As a key feature on the landscape, South Kirkby Camp provides a link to the past.

“It is a space for a shared experience of the history of South Kirkby and prehistoric northern England.

“Despite the industrial revolution and the coming of heavy industry to South Kirkby changing the landscape substantially, the site has remained.

“Therefore the site holds a strong historic value.”

Mr Trickett said the site was “one of the many issues” he would raise with HS2 minister Paul Maynard at a meeting next month.

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